Previously :
Later that night, Ellie stared at the ceiling, her mind still preoccupied with what had just happened.
Bella, who was usually cold and reserved, seemed so fragile tonight. Her words, her grip, her facial expressions—none of it was meant for Ellie.
She sighed, a soft exhale. "Who is she really thinking about?"
Why do I even care who she's thinking about? I shouldn't.
I -should just get some sleep.
Hopefully, by tomorrow, she'll be fine.
The next morning, The sky was still a soft grey, the world quiet. Ellie was preparing a simple bowl of congee for Bella. The warmth of the pot fogged the windows slightly, a comforting scent filling the air.
Once it was ready, she placed it carefully on the small table beside Bella's bed. Bella was still asleep—curled up under the blanket, her breathing shallow, her face still pale.
Ellie didn't wake her.
Instead, she scribbled a note on a small piece of paper and set it next to the bowl:
"I hope you're feeling better when u wake up.
I made some congee for you—please eat it.
If anything happens, call me."
She added her phone number beneath the words, then looked at Bella one last time before quietly leaving the house. She had things to take care of—arrangements and paperwork for the restaurant she was about to take over. But even as she stepped out into the cool morning air, part of her heart remained inside that house, with the girl lying sick and wounded, both in body and soul.
Bella was still lying in bed when the vibration of her phone woke her up. Her eyes were heavy, her body still weak. Reluctantly, she reached for her phone and saw the name on the screen.
Alice.
Bella's heart beat slowly but heavily. She stared at the screen for a few seconds—no emotion, just emptiness. There was no intention to answer. Then… a new message notification.
"I'm in front of your house now."
Bella's eyes widened. Her breath caught for a moment. Her hand trembled as she sat up. Her body still had a fever, her steps unsteady, but the shock made her force herself toward the front door.
And sure enough.
Alice was standing there—like a ghost from her past that she couldn't avoid. She looked the same: casual, slightly masculine, but still enchanting.
"Why didn't you answer my call?" Alice's voice was flat, but her eyes traced Bella's face. Her expression shifted as she saw how pale Bella was.
Without waiting for an answer, Alice stepped closer and touched Bella's forehead. "You're burning up. Are you sick, Bella?" The concerned tone was familiar, but now it felt sharp—because Bella knew Alice's concern had never been genuine.
"I'm fine," Bella said quietly, trying to push her hand away. But Alice refused to step back.
"You're as stubborn as ever. Come on, to your room. Rest."
Alice wrapped her arm around Bella, leading her back to the bed, like she used to—but it didn't feel the same. It wasn't comforting, but… suffocating.
"Did you take your medicine?"
"I'm not sick," Bella replied defensively. But her tone wavered.
Alice scoffed. "You're clearly sick. Where do you keep your medicine?" She started opening drawers, searching for something to help—or maybe… looking for signs of someone else?
And she found it.
A bowl of porridge, still warm. And a small note.
Alice read the message, her expression changing. Silent. For a long time. Then…
"It seems you have someone taking care of you now." Her voice was quiet, but cutting. There was jealousy that she couldn't hide.
"What do you mean?" Bella asked, confused.
Alice didn't answer. She just stared at the porridge, then back at Bella.
"Eat it. Someone went through the trouble of making it for you."
Bella turned her face away, her eyes landing on the small note. The handwriting… Ellie.
In that moment, all the memories of last night hit her.
The hand holding hers… Ellie's warm face, looking at her with concern… and the words—"I miss you too"—that, for some reason, she had said.
Her lips trembled.
"Damn…" Bella whispered, almost inaudible.
Her body was still hot, but now, it was her face that burned with embarrassment. Confusion. And a question began to grow in her chest—not about Alice, but about someone else who had slowly entered.
"So, are you going to eat that? Looks like it's been sitting there for a while," Alice asked, her eyes flicking toward the table, her tone laced with sarcasm.
Bella glanced at her. Her body was weak, her face pale from the fever, but her voice remained cold. "That's none of your business. Whether I eat it or not has nothing to do with you."
She paused for a moment, then continued, her voice lower, sharper—cutting like a blade.
"Now tell me. What do you really want? Why did you come back? Weren't you the one who chose to leave in the first place?"
Alice fell silent. Her face showed hesitation, her eyes unable to meet Bella's. A few seconds passed in tense silence before she finally spoke,
"I want us to be together again."
The words froze the room. Bella said nothing, but her mind was in chaos.
Two years. Two years you disappeared without a trace, deciding to leave me like I never mattered.
And now you want us back?
It was true—Bella still had feelings for Alice, deep down. But the pain Alice left behind hadn't even begun to heal.
"Aren't you ashamed?" Bella's voice cut through the silence—cold, sharp. "Trying to take back something you threw away?"
"I know… I was wrong. I'm sorry, Bella. I never should've left you," Alice said, trying to keep herself together in the midst of the storm.
"What happened, really? Weren't you already married? Didn't you have your own family? Then why come back to me now?" Bella's tone was full of suspicion.
"I'm divorced now… I got married because of my parents' pressure. I'm their only child, Bella. I didn't want to disappoint them. But—" Alice's voice faltered, her breath catching. "You have no idea how hard it was for me."
Bella let out a bitter laugh. "And you think I had it easy? What about me? You think I didn't have a family too? I left them for you, Alice. You were the only one I had back then. And look at you now—at the end of it all, you still ended up disappointing them too, didn't you? You divorced him, and now you come crawling back to me, asking for another chance? That's hilarious."
"You're right… I disappointed everyone. Including you." Alice looked down, her voice dripping with regret.
"You deserved it," Bella snapped. "You don't know what it took for me to survive those two years after you left. And now you think I'll just take you back like nothing happened? Don't be delusional, Alice. I'm not the same Bella anymore."
Alice lifted her head, her gaze sharp. "Is it because you're with someone else now?"
"That's none of your business," Bella said firmly.
"Then why?! Why won't you give me just one more chance?" Alice's frustration boiled over.
Bella stared at her, eyes sharp but filled with unhealed wounds. "That's the problem with you, Alice. You always think about what you want. You make every decision on your own, without ever considering how I feel. Just like two years ago… you left without even looking back. And now you're doing it again—you come here, thinking only of your own feelings, without even asking… how I've been."
Tears began to well up in the corners of Bella's eyes, but she held them back. She had to stay strong. She would stay strong.
Then The front door creaked open slowly. Creak…
Someone had just entered the house—it was Ellie.
She had just returned after spending the whole day handling important matters for the restaurant she was about to take over. Her steps were heavy with exhaustion, but her thoughts went straight to one thing: Bella.
"Has she gotten any better…? I need to see for myself."
Worry filled her chest like a tide rising fast.
But before she could take more than a few steps, unfamiliar voices echoed from one of the rooms. Two voices. A conversation that shouldn't be there.
Ellie frowned.
"Who…? Isn't Bella supposed to be alone?"
She walked slowly, cautiously, toward Bella's room. The door wasn't fully closed, and through the narrow crack, she could see a woman standing inside.
Beautiful… and familiar.
"That's… that's the woman I saw with Bella that night near the supermarket… isn't she?"
Her heart began to race, though she couldn't explain why.
Inside the room, Alice stood facing Bella. Her voice was low but firm, trembling from the emotion she was trying to hold back.
"Can you… forget everything that happened?" she asked. "I came back because I regret it, Bell. I want to make things right."
Bella felt like her heart was being yanked backward into the past. That wound… it had never healed. Not really.
But now Alice stood in front of her—the woman she had once loved with her entire being—and her heart began to waver.
She wanted to hate.
But the longing… was too strong.
"I… I'm not sure we can go back to how we were," Bella whispered, her voice hoarse from sickness and all the emotions she'd been trying to suppress. Her eyes dropped, unable to hold Alice's gaze.
But Alice stepped closer. She took Bella's hand and held it tight.
"We can start over, Bell. Let's leave the past behind. Let's make new memories. Please… just give me a chance."
Outside the room, Ellie stood frozen in place.
She shouldn't be hearing this. This wasn't her business.
"They… they had a relationship…?" her thoughts were spinning.
"Bella… was with that woman…?"
Her chest felt tight. She didn't know how to process it. Shock, confusion—it all swirled inside her.
Then suddenly—
BUZZZZZ
Alice's phone vibrated in her hand. A message had come through.
The name "Hansen" lit up the screen.
Alice's expression shifted instantly—from confident to panicked. Her eyes darted over the message, clearly unsettled.
"Bell, I… I have to go. I'm sorry. Let's talk more later," she said quickly, her voice faltering.
She rushed to the door—and when she opened it, she froze.
Ellie stood there, staring silently.
Their eyes met for a brief second. Alice didn't recognize her, but clearly had questions.
Just… not now.
She glanced back at Bella one last time, then cast a sharp look at Ellie.
A smirk tugged at the corner of her lips.
"Looks like… someone's waiting for you," she said, her tone edged with mockery, before disappearing down the hall.
Bella was left sitting on the bed. Her body trembling—not just from the fever, but from the storm inside her head.
She looked up slowly, meeting Ellie's eyes at the doorway.
"How long has she been there…?"
"Did she… hear everything…?"
Her heartbeat was erratic. Her lips parted slightly, but no words came out.
The silence between them stretched thick—tense and heavy. Like both of them had something to say, but neither could find the right words.
Then finally, Ellie spoke. Her voice was quiet… but piercing.
"…That woman. Was she your ex?"
Bella stiffened. Her eyes locked on Ellie's, trying to read the emotion behind them. Was it disgust? Judgement?
Or just… curiosity?
Ellie continued, her voice a little hesitant.
"So… you're with women?"